Roadblocks
by Claude Amelia Song
Summary: Luna Lovegood had been misjudged all her life by the people she had met. When she had decided to join the Auror Academy she had been looked over with scepticism. Many didn't see her graduating, but now the Graduation day has come and we'll see who spoke the truth and who lied.


_**Dedicated to Paola. Happy belated birthday! **_

**Summer Camp**

**Cabin Dumbledore**

**Task 4: **Paintball

Write about overcoming a huge obstacle.

Words: 1289

**Betaed by Aethra and Ebenbild. Thank you.**

Luna had never thought she would succeed in her dreams. People didn't understand. They never did. They saw her as a misfit, a freak, just Loony Lovegood. She was alone in a huge school and no one saw her for who she was. Not even all of her friends. They cared and they listened, they didn't mock her even if they didn't believe in her beliefs, but they didn't see her. And that probably hurt the most. They loved her, she knew that and she loved them just as much, but sometimes they looked without seeing. They didn't understand. But they still helped. After all Harry had been the one to give her a hand to hold onto and she was grateful for it. Working with him, the past two years had brought them closer. To the world outside she still was that dreamy girl, but to them she had grown up.

Her mother had once told her that for your dreams to come true, you had to work hard to overcome every rock that the road put in front of you, every river that stymied your path. Luna had prepared for that. She was ready. But as the years passed, and her passions changed, she had realised it wasn't the stones in the road she had to jump over to achieve her dreams, she had to jump over the people she was walking by on her road. The realisation hit her hard. She was too young for the world's cruelty and then suddenly, she wasn't. That moment when you open your eyes and see the world for what it is instead of what you believed it to be. Being a dreamer in Ravenclaw could have easily cut off her wings.

Prejudice was something harder to overcome than anything else. Luna Lovegood wasn't a down to Earth person. So she had to go and try and find her creatures or she will write on the Quibbler for the rest of her life. Because _clearly_ if you do one, then the other is off limits.

Ever since she had stepped foot into Hogwarts, prejudice had been her hardest obstacle to jump over, and it didn't seem that things would change anytime soon. Two years had gone by since she had joined the Auror Division of the Magical Law Enforcement Department and people still saw it as something akin to a joke. It didn't matter to them that she had fought in the war more than half of them did. In good times, people tend to forget what people did for it to be good times. Sacrifices were easily forgotten.

But she was here now, thanks to her own hard work and nothing would bring her back from her top place. She was grateful for it and soon, everyone would see that she was there for real, that she was good in what she was doing. You cannot graduate the Auror Academy if you're not good at it. Her fellow graduates knew her powers and what she could do with a wand. They learnt better than to mess with her. Still, the others who had started the Academy with her, but failed to complete it, were still in the delusion that she was a joke put on display because she was Harry's friend. Some even said she and Harry went behind Ginny's back. The joke was on them, though because she was top of the class _ and _ valedictorian.

But it didn't mean she wasn't nervous. This was her chance to prove herself, once and for all.

"Hey Luna! Congratulations!" she heard a friendly voice behind her. Hermione was walking towards her, a huge smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said, hugging her. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Madam!"

Five years after finishing her two masteries in Potions and Charms, Hermione had joined the Ministry of Magic, DMLE. And now she was the youngest Head of Department ever. But Luna couldn't think of a better person to lead them. To lead _her_.

Hermione made a face.

"Not you too. It's bad enough Harry and Ron do it."

Luna just laughed.

"I will not call you that Hermione, do not worry. I am very proud that my friend is the Head of DMLE at such a young age. I will not call you by your title."

Hermione smiled and shook her head at the younger girl. Sometimes it seemed that she was the most mature of them all.

As if she could read her mind, Luna told her "It's a matter of perception."

Luna could see her friend was a bit confused, so she explained after the graduation ceremony that sometimes, she could feel people's emotions. That was why she had been so extraordinary on the field test, she could tell when people were lying to her or having thoughts to attack her.

She could see Ron and Ginny near Hermione, together with Denis, her father and the entire Weasley Clan. Even Charlie was there from Romania.

They were all there to see her and hear her speech.

The reception of the people in the alphabet before her passed in a blur; she was focused on how to make her speech shorter, in fact, she was so unfocused that they had to call her name twice.

"Lovegood, Luna!" and she finally looked up and with a sheepish smile she took her diploma. Some of the former members of her promotion sniggered. However, her teacher gave them a stern glare and before calling the next name he said:

"Don't let yourselves be fooled ladies and gentlemen, this dreamy girl you are seeing today, is the best Auror we will have tomorrow. She is a force to be reckoned with on the field. Trust me, I burnt myself while thinking I'm looking at water - because I was actually touching fire."

Luna blushed and ducked her head. She went back to her place, waiting for the time of her speech.

And when that time came, she was ready.

"Hello everyone! My name as you all heard is Luna Lovegood. Many of you know me from school or from the Golden Trio Foundation that I helped my friends built after the war. Some of you know me as that girl in the hallway looking for her shoes. I'm still that girl, I guess. Just more adult than they chose me to do this speech they told me to tell you what I learnt in the Auror Division, how it changed me and what my future plans are. And to give some advice to future candidates. I can tell you that being part of this wonderful team, I learnt to not be afraid to be myself. I am good in what I'm doing and I learnt to believe it too. I think I'm more confident now, I proved to myself that I could do it. It took me some time to decide what I wanted to do, after the war, my interests have changed, but when I finally chose a field, I wasn't quite welcomed. Now, I am.

" I learnt that people are the worse obstacle someone could face, a huge rock in the middle of the road that you have to pass and not let it discourage you and bring you down. Prejudice is everywhere, you just have to jump over it to come out on top. But my advice is that you shouldn't learn how to jump, but instead learn not be part of the rocks on the road that other people are passing by. Spread love instead! Thank you very much." And she left, while people were applauding and her friends watching her with pride.

Luna Lovegood had jumped high.


End file.
